'Severance' puts a spin on the Orpheus and Eurydice myth in its Season 2 finale
Throughout Severance Season 2, fans and critics alike have drawn connections between Mark (Adam Scott) and his wife Gemma (Dichen Lachman) and the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.
The comparison makes sense: In the myth, Eurydice dies from a snakebite and goes to the underworld. Similarly, Gemma is presumed dead in Severance, although she's really in the Lumon basement, which is its own kind of underworld. Helly (Britt Lower) even goes so far as to call Lumon "hell" right to Jame Eagan's (Michael Siberry) face in the Season 2 finale, further cementing the connection.
Need more proof that Severance is in conversation with Greek myth? Mark name-drops Persephone, queen of the underworld in Greek myth, in Season 2, episode 2: a clear reference to another woman trapped below ground, who just so happens to be a key player in the story of Orpheus and Eurydice.
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Eurydice's husband Orpheus follows her to the underworld in the hopes of saving her, not unlike Mark's efforts to break Gemma out of Lumon all season long. However, these similarities had viewers worried. In the myth, Orpheus wins over Hades and Persephone with his musical talents. Because of this, Hades allows Eurydice to leave the underworld on one condition. As Orpheus guides her to the surface, he cannot look back to make sure she's there. If he does, Eurydice will be lost to him forever. So if Severance were to follow the original myth, would that mean that Mark is destined to make a similar mistake and doom Gemma?
Not quite.
Severance's Season 2 finale, "Cold Harbor," puts a twist on the Orpheus and Eurydice myth. The episode sees Mark — both his Innie and his Outie — free Gemma from the hell of the Testing Floor. So in this case, the Eurydice figure does make it out alive. Great news, right? Well, don't get too excited just yet. There's still the Orpheus figure, Mark, to worry about. And just like in Greek myth, Mark — specifically Innie Mark — does turn around.
But Innie Mark doesn't turn around to look back for Gemma. He actually looks back for his own love: Helly. And in doing so, he chooses not to leave Lumon and revert to his Outie, likely retiring himself in the process. Instead, he chooses to run deeper into Lumon with Helly, in a sequence that mirrors Season 2's very first scene.
So in the end, Severance reverses the Orpheus and Eurydice myth with its own sci-fi twist. Eurydice makes it out, but Orpheus stays behind. But in this case, Orpheus has another woman he loves, while Eurydice is left to grieve the loss of her husband. With this cliffhanger in mind, what's next for the doomed couples of Severance? Are Innie Mark and Helly destined to roam the Lumon underworld forever? Is there a chance for a reunion between Gemma and Mark? We've gone beyond the myth now, and the future has never been more uncertain.
Severance Season 2 is now streaming on Apple TV+.
Belen Edwards is an Entertainment Reporter at Mashable. She covers movies and TV with a focus on fantasy and science fiction, adaptations, animation, and more nerdy goodness. She is a member of the Critics Choice Association and the Television Critics Association, as well as a Tomatometer-approved critic.
